Interesting that complaints come primarily from a feminist perspective: that the girl is being objectified. I think there’s something to that, although I think it’s not the point of the video by any means, that the girl’s character isn’t developed, that she’s conventionally pretty–and referred to as such, as if that’s the only important thing about her–and that she doesn’t need to give her verbal permission to be touched. But the video isn’t about her. It’s about boys learning/knowing not to hit ANY girls; she only serves as an example. That said, what does it mean to say “boys shouldn’t… Read more »
Paul, is there something wrong with having a feminist perspective? What exactly constitutes a “feminist perspective” vs just having a human one? You can’t simply be a human being and believe that others are objectified for certain elements without it having to be “feminist”? Or does being female alone mean you got a “feminist perspective”? Yeah, actually, the video is about her. It’s about her and the boys and how the boys relate to her. You can not deny the value of her importance in the video because without her, you don’t have a video. You make it sound like… Read more »
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elissa
9 years ago
This is another dumb PSA video aimed at curbing domestic violence against women. The message is that even a small boy knows that he should not hit a woman, so why do not grown men follow suit? It’s probably a well-meaning video, but nonetheless dumb, simplistic and void of any understanding of the dynamics behind domestic violence. More misguided awareness raising, feel-good nonsense, driven by politics, vote getting and money laundering. All we need is another colored ribbon and we’re good to go.
I think how a person views this video says more about them than the video. As a mother of four boys I loved it’s message and pray that my children would react in the same way. The video wasn’t creepy in any way and if people’s main objection was that the girl was pretty, again that says more about them! Touching another human being, even the opposite sex, does not have to be a sexual thing. Maybe if we showed more love the world wouldn’t be in such an awful state.
Sarah: Maybe if we showed more love the world wouldn’t be in such an awful state.
Good. Then I wait eagerly for the same news organization to produce a video that asks girls to slap boys around then wait for the results.
Seems like we’re only showing HALF the population love while leaving the OTHER half in a helpless state.
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Eagle35
9 years ago
I would dare these people to produce a similar video only with girls asked to slap boys then see the results.
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Anonymous Commenter
9 years ago
So weary of People On The Internet (such as Rabbi Brenner) over-analyzing and reading far too much into every little thing. The girl wasn’t standing there helpless. She obviously had agreed to take part in this video. She probably knew what the guy filming was going to say to the boys. She could have said “don’t touch me” if she didn’t want to be touched. And while we’re at it, have we REALLY become the type of society where one human being cannot touch someone in a friendly, completely innocent way without it being something bad? Lord have mercy, when… Read more »
As I agree with Rabbi Daniel, and I felt the video was creepy, do you now what to now attack me and say that I’m creepy too as you did to him? We aren’t talking about friends mutually hugging each other where you know where you stand with your friends and the consent is in receiving and giving a hug back in return. (By the way, I know which of my friends liked to be hugged and which ones don’t so I don’t hug the ones that don’t want to be hugged.) We are talking about a situation of strangers… Read more »
@ Erin One boy does ask permission at the end, but not of the girl. He asks the man behind the camera if he can kiss her on the mouth or the cheek. I wonder if the whole thing was staged. There have been experiments that showed people would follow the instructions of an authority figure even if it conflicted with their own conscience. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experiment I can’t see how a young boy would be more resistant to this than an adult. If we look at the video in this context. The creator might be sending the message that women are… Read more »
Maybe it was staged, I don’t know. Even if it was staged, the elements of it are problematic for a variety of reassons I outlined previously. It’s problematic that the boy would ask the man if he could touch the girl and not the girl herself. This is the essence of objectification. As I said, I hold all the little boys (and girl) in the video completely innocent of anything. They are children. But children grow into adults who have learned, or not learned, some core values. And who we are as adults, in a result of our experiences as… Read more »
This video is more about the creepy guy behind the camera who is enjoying manipulating the boys in the video than it is about the realities of domestic violence.
Interesting that complaints come primarily from a feminist perspective: that the girl is being objectified. I think there’s something to that, although I think it’s not the point of the video by any means, that the girl’s character isn’t developed, that she’s conventionally pretty–and referred to as such, as if that’s the only important thing about her–and that she doesn’t need to give her verbal permission to be touched. But the video isn’t about her. It’s about boys learning/knowing not to hit ANY girls; she only serves as an example. That said, what does it mean to say “boys shouldn’t… Read more »
Paul, is there something wrong with having a feminist perspective? What exactly constitutes a “feminist perspective” vs just having a human one? You can’t simply be a human being and believe that others are objectified for certain elements without it having to be “feminist”? Or does being female alone mean you got a “feminist perspective”? Yeah, actually, the video is about her. It’s about her and the boys and how the boys relate to her. You can not deny the value of her importance in the video because without her, you don’t have a video. You make it sound like… Read more »
This is another dumb PSA video aimed at curbing domestic violence against women. The message is that even a small boy knows that he should not hit a woman, so why do not grown men follow suit? It’s probably a well-meaning video, but nonetheless dumb, simplistic and void of any understanding of the dynamics behind domestic violence. More misguided awareness raising, feel-good nonsense, driven by politics, vote getting and money laundering. All we need is another colored ribbon and we’re good to go.
I think how a person views this video says more about them than the video. As a mother of four boys I loved it’s message and pray that my children would react in the same way. The video wasn’t creepy in any way and if people’s main objection was that the girl was pretty, again that says more about them! Touching another human being, even the opposite sex, does not have to be a sexual thing. Maybe if we showed more love the world wouldn’t be in such an awful state.
Sarah: Maybe if we showed more love the world wouldn’t be in such an awful state.
Good. Then I wait eagerly for the same news organization to produce a video that asks girls to slap boys around then wait for the results.
Seems like we’re only showing HALF the population love while leaving the OTHER half in a helpless state.
I would dare these people to produce a similar video only with girls asked to slap boys then see the results.
So weary of People On The Internet (such as Rabbi Brenner) over-analyzing and reading far too much into every little thing. The girl wasn’t standing there helpless. She obviously had agreed to take part in this video. She probably knew what the guy filming was going to say to the boys. She could have said “don’t touch me” if she didn’t want to be touched. And while we’re at it, have we REALLY become the type of society where one human being cannot touch someone in a friendly, completely innocent way without it being something bad? Lord have mercy, when… Read more »
As I agree with Rabbi Daniel, and I felt the video was creepy, do you now what to now attack me and say that I’m creepy too as you did to him? We aren’t talking about friends mutually hugging each other where you know where you stand with your friends and the consent is in receiving and giving a hug back in return. (By the way, I know which of my friends liked to be hugged and which ones don’t so I don’t hug the ones that don’t want to be hugged.) We are talking about a situation of strangers… Read more »
typing fix: : “who then grope strangers on a train..” Sorry.
@ Erin One boy does ask permission at the end, but not of the girl. He asks the man behind the camera if he can kiss her on the mouth or the cheek. I wonder if the whole thing was staged. There have been experiments that showed people would follow the instructions of an authority figure even if it conflicted with their own conscience. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experiment I can’t see how a young boy would be more resistant to this than an adult. If we look at the video in this context. The creator might be sending the message that women are… Read more »
Maybe it was staged, I don’t know. Even if it was staged, the elements of it are problematic for a variety of reassons I outlined previously. It’s problematic that the boy would ask the man if he could touch the girl and not the girl herself. This is the essence of objectification. As I said, I hold all the little boys (and girl) in the video completely innocent of anything. They are children. But children grow into adults who have learned, or not learned, some core values. And who we are as adults, in a result of our experiences as… Read more »
Here’s what I learn from this video:
Objectifying girls is o.k.
Touching girls without their consent is o.k.
Slapping pretty ones is not o.k.
Really? is this the best we can do?
This video is more about the creepy guy behind the camera who is enjoying manipulating the boys in the video than it is about the realities of domestic violence.
Really? Is this the best we can do?
Rabbi Daniel, you expressed exactly what I thought about the video as well. This video creeped me out all around.
This is the kind of sexism no feminist is ever going to fight against. Here they support the patriarchy fully.
Naturally would prefer a world where everybody feels the same taboo about hitting anybody, but nobody seems to be campaigning for that at all.